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Most of us make basic cybersecurity mistakes every day, an expert warns.
These include knowing your password by heart, allowing junk mail to clutter your inbox, and not using two-factor authentication.
The threat from hackers and other bad actors in the cyberverse is high, with an estimated one in three homes having a computer that has a device infected with malware.
Overall, 47 percent of American adults have had their personal information exposed by cybercriminals.
This week, the FBI destroyed the world’s largest criminal online marketplace, where hackers thrashed bank, eBay, Amazon and Facebook credentials for just 50 cents.
Zane Bond, head of product at cybersecurity firm Keeper Security, warned that millions of Americans make mistakes every day, putting themselves and their information at risk. They are:
Remember passwords
Remembering passwords can be a fatal mistake (file photo)
Most of us make basic cybersecurity mistakes, says Zane Bond, lead product at Keeper Security
If your password is easy enough to remember, it’s easy for cybercriminals to crack, Bond warns.
Bond also says using one strong password for multiple accounts is “setting yourself up for failure.”
He says, “The best way to make sure you have strong, unique passwords is through a password manager that can create and store them for you.
“With a secure password manager, you only need to remember one master password and rest assured that your other passwords are too difficult for a cybercriminal to hack.”
Do not unsubscribe from junk mail
Failing to opt out of junk email can make you easy prey for phishers (file photo)
Cybercriminals trust us to make a mistake and click the wrong link – so you need to make sure you’re not inundated with promotions and marketing materials, the expert said.
Opting out of unwanted email (such as marketing emails you receive after purchasing something online) can help you stay safe, he says.
Bond says, “If you unsubscribe every time you see the option, you’ll avoid an email overload.
“Less junk in your inbox means less chance of mistakes and more time and energy to keep an eye on phishing attacks.”
Users should also use built-in defenses to avoid clicking risky links.
He says, ‘Don’t click on a link that isn’t necessary. Instead, you must navigate to and open the website yourself via a browser.
“You can also hover over the link to make sure it takes you where it claims to be.”
Failure to set up a ‘guest’ network for visitors to your home
Have you set up a guest network for your home? (file photo)
Most of us fail to take basic security measures to protect our home Wi-Fi, such as setting up a separate “guest” network.
A guest network means that guests cannot accidentally introduce malware into your home and cannot access your devices.
It appears as ‘your network name – guest’ and has a separate password, and is enabled through your router’s menu.
Bond says: “Simple precautions you take to secure your home Wi-Fi network will help prevent cybercriminals from accessing your phones, tablets, computers and IoT devices.
You can secure your Wi-Fi network by making sure it has a strong and unique password, setting up a separate guest Wi-Fi network, turning on your router’s encryption, using a VPN, and updating your router’s software. router up to date.’
Not planning your digital afterlife
One of the biggest cybersecurity mistakes we all make is not planning for death, Bond warns.
When you die, your loved ones will need access to your information – and far too few of us bother to plan for it.
Bond says: ‘Two things are guaranteed in life: death and taxes. One we deal with, the other we try to avoid even thinking about.
“Our lives are increasingly migrating into the digital realm and we need to think about how our loved ones are going to access the information they need when we’re gone.
“The process includes creating a digital inventory of your online presence, assets and liabilities; designate a digital heir to receive your credentials and assets; and devise a plan, such as storing credentials and personal documentation in a secure password manager that can be passed on to your digital heir.”
Override two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication can help you stay safe online (file photo)
Using two-factor authentication can make your accounts 99.9 percent more secure, according to research from Microsoft.
Two-factor authentication is offered by most online accounts (in addition to a password, you’re protected by requesting a code from an app or sending it via SMS.
Bond says, “Add multi-factor authentication (MFA) where you can, starting with your most important accounts: email, social media, banks, crypto, etc.
“You can also integrate MFA into a password manager’s autofill feature, so the password manager does that second step for you.”